Astraphobia
by Refreshingly Original
Summary: A certain tabby cat has Astraphobia. How does she get over her fear?
1. Angel of the Storm

**Astraphobia**

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><p>Astraphobia; the fear of thunder and lightning.<p>

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><p>Harry sat at his desk in a bad mood. He had been sitting there since dinner had finished, writing lines. He knew he should be thankful that he was serving detention with his Head of House and not the awful High Inquisitor, but writing the same line over and over again for three hours wasn't the funnest thing to do. As he started to write on his fourth piece of parchment, a low rumble sounded in the distance. Storms weren't uncommon in Scotland, so Harry ignored it and continued to write <em>'I will not talk back.'<em> In a few short minutes though, the storm gad come considerably closer to the castle, but still the rumbling could only just be heard. That was until there was an almighty crack of lightning that lit up the night sky, showing just how huge the storm was.

Harry jumped at the sound and looked out the window behind McGonagall's desk. Dark clouds were rolling towards them, only visible from the small burst of lightning jumping from cloud to cloud. As he looked back down to his paper, he noticed that McGonagall was holding her quill in a white knuckle grip. Shaking his head, he continued with his punishment, only to look up again as the quill snapped in two as the next lot of thunder made the windows rattle in their cases. Before the windows even had a chance to recover, the largest streak of lightning yet cracked right beside them, causing them to strain against the metal holding them in place. McGonagall covered her ears and whimpered as the windows continued to shake. Before Harry could ask if she was alright, McGonagall transformed and ran underneath the low sofa near the fire place.

Standing up, Harry moved to the front of the sofa and knelt down, looking under it for his Professor. She was curled up tightly, shaking. "Professor. Professor McGonagall." He called to her softly. "Professor, please come out."

It took a while, but he managed to coax her out from her hiding place while there was a respite in the storm. But just as she poked her head out from under the sofa, a loud roar of thunder made her jump from underneath the seat and land in a surprised Harry's lap, shaking. He was shocked, but he patted her gently in an attempt to calm her, but her shaking only increased as the thunder continued to echo throughout the office. As the sound got louder, McGonagall tried to hide herself inside Harry's school robes, but was stopped before she could even halfway hide herself. Instead she was picked up and moved to rest in Harry's lap as he sat down on the sofa. She glared at him the best she could, but was only ignored as he pulled his knees up and started to pat her again. She relaxed slightly and laid down on her stomach, covering her ears and closing her eyes as more lightning lit up the night sky.

With each crash of thunder, Minerva's shaking increased. Harry noticed this and pulled her up to his chest and held her there, hoping that the calm beating of his heart would soothe her enough that she would stop trembling. Minerva looked up at him with wide eyes before she forced her head underneath the thin layer of black material as the sky was once again lit up. Harry could tell from her shaking that she wasn't going to calm down any time soon, so he started to sing the first thing that came to his mind.

_Some people say_

_We all have an angel_

_that settles our hearts_

_and quiets our mind_

_when it's time for sleeping_

_when it's time for dreaming_

_She keeps softly singing_

_'Til the sun starts to shine_

As Harry sang, he felt Minerva's shaking slowly stop, but he didn't let go of her. He didn't understand why, but he like holding her.

_And she sings a song of love_

_And she sings a song of peace_

_And she sings a light from above_

_Into this world while we sleep_

_Into this world while we sleep_

Finishing off the song, Harry looked down and saw that Minerva had stretched out slightly so her head rested just above his heart and that her breathing had evened out. With a smile, he scratched behind her ears and watched the storm out the window.

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><p><em>There will be more parts. <em>

_I am also sorry that I have started yet another story, but I am lost on what to do with my other stories._

_If you have any idea's, don't hesitate to tell me._

_Now smack that button!_


	2. I'll protect you while you sleep

**Astraphobia**

**Part II**

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><p>Minerva quietly walked down the corridor to the Gryffindor Tower late one night. She was just finishing up her rounds by checking in on her cubs before heading to bed herself. Upon entering the common room, Minerva was surprised to be met with silence. Normally there would still be a few students up talking. Walking further in to the room, she glanced around at the empty chairs. As she turned around to leave, her eyes stopped on the slumped over figure at the table in the corner. Shaking her head, she walked over to who she thought was Hermione Granger. She was used to seeing the girl asleep at the table from studying. As she stepped next to the figure, she was surprised to see Harry asleep on top of what looked to be his Charms essay.<p>

Shaking her head again, she reached out and shook his shoulder gently. "Mr potter."

When he didn't move, she bent slightly and called out again. "Potter."

In answer to her call, Harry turned his head away from her. Glaring at him briefly, Minerva walked around to his other side with her back to the window and tried again. "Potter."

As she spoke, the black sky lit up with lightning, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Minerva stiffened at the unexpected sound. Reaching out again, she shook his shoulder a lot harder than before. "Potter!"

A deafening roar of thunder rattled the window. "Potter!" She hissed.

Looking behind her, Minerva saw a bolt of lightning reaching down from the black swirling clouds and strike somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. "Harry!" She jumped.

Groaning softly, Harry slowly opened his eyes. Lifting his head, he looked around for the person who had cried out his name. Not seeing anyone, he sighed and looked down at the half finished essay that was due the next day. As he picked up his quill, he felt something heavy move in his lap. Looking down, he was met with a tightly curled up cat with dark green eyes. "Professor? Wha-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as another crack of thunder sounded just outside the window.

As the sound eases, Harry feels Minerva start to tremble. Looking down, he was saddened to see the frightened look in her eyes increase with her shaking. Picking her up, he curled his arms around her small body and held her against his chest. "Shh. Shh. I have you. You're safe." He whispered as he patted her head.

When he realized that it wasn't really helping, he got up and walked over to the sofa in front of the fire. Sitting down with his back against the arm rest, he allowed her to burrow into the big jumper Mrs Weasley had made for him. "I've got you. I've got you." He repeated in an attempt to calm her down.

After repeating the same line over and over again for the last few minutes, Harry looked down at the non-moving cat on his chest. He was surprised to see that she was no longer curled up in a tightly ball, but half stretched out across his torso, asleep. Smiling, he slowly moved down on the seat and patted her from head to tail. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep to the sound of her purring.

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><p>Groaning quietly, Minerva slowly allowed herself to wake up. Not opening her eyes, she rolled her head to the left, feeling the muscles pull. She let out a small and relaxed, only to completely freeze when something wrapped around her waist. Wide awake now, Minerva looked down to see an arm wrapped around her, holding on top of whoever it belonged to. Looking up, she gasped in shock upon seeing Harry's face.<p>

Starring wide eyed at her student, Minerva didn't hear the sounds of doors of the dormitories opening a top of the stairs. Only when the sounds of hushed voices and stomping feet reached her ears did she move. As quickly and quietly as she could, Minerva unwrapped Harry's arm. Trying not to disturb him, she lifted herself off of him and left the tower, just as the first person entered the common room.

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><p><em>This is dedicated to Rhika &amp; TheRiverUnbroken.<em>

_It is a little shorter then I wanted it to be, but at least I updated right?_

_Anyway, as per request by Lord PotterXXVII, I will be updating Forever Young next. _

_If you have any requests for updates on stories, except Swing Sets & Tree Tops, because I am actually having a wee bit of trouble finding my notes for that one, don't hesitate to tell/demand/ask me to. _

_Have a good evening._

_Ro._


	3. Accidents Happen

**Astraphobia**

**Part III**

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><p>It had been three days since Dumbledore's funeral, and Harry had finally pooled enough courage to go up to his office. Although he knew that it was no longer Dumbledore's office, Harry couldn't bring himself to call it McGonagall's office just yet. He also knew that she couldn't either. Sighing, he continued to walk down the main corridor that lead the late Headmaster's office. As he passed by one of the large windows, Harry's attention was drawn outside by a flash of light crossing the sky. Pausing, he watched for a few seconds. A bolt of lightning jumped from one side of the black sky to the other before Harry had a chance to blink. Shrugging his shoulders at the usual storm, Harry continued on his way.<p>

Without even having to whisper a password, which is unusual for McGonagall, the stone gargoyle jumped aside and allowed Harry to walk up the hidden staircase behind it. As he walked up the stone stairs, the sound of the storm grew softer and softer with each step. Coming to the entrance to the office, Harry took a deep breath before pushing open the door. As he walked through it, a large gust of wind came through the opened window and slammed the door shut behind him, causing him to jump. At the sound of chuckling, Harry spun around to face the portrait of Phineas Black.

"A bit jumpy are you boy?" He chortled.

Glaring, Harry ground out. "No, sir."

Ignoring the unwanted answer, the old Headmaster continued talking as if he was uninterrupted. "Mind you, the new Headmistress is too. The first sound of thunder, she transformed and ran upstairs." He laughed. "How she's meant to head the school, when she can't even handle a little storm is…"

After hearing the first sentence, Harry made his way over to the metal stairs at the side of the office and was half way up before Black even realized that he wasn't standing there listening to him anymore.

"You can't go up there boy!" He yelled.

Harry ignored the man and walked through the doorway to the living quarters of his Head of House. Looking around, he vaguely noticed the Gryffindor colouring throughout the room. Not seeing McGonagall anywhere, he walked further into the room. Taking a second look, he noticed the large portrait over the fireplace. Walking up to it, think he could ask for help, he was surprised to see Dumbledore standing next to a lady with long black hair and forest green eyes. Nodding politely to the lady, Harry waited for her to return the nod before looking to Dumbledore.

"You shouldn't be up here Harry." He said, frowning.

"Where is she?" Harry asked, not unkindly.

Dumbledore's frown deepened. "You need to –"

"Why?" asked a stern voice from Dumbledore's left side.

Looking to the other occupant of the portrait, Harry spoke respectively to the lady. "I can help."

It was the lady's turn to frown now. "No one has been able to calm her since my passing." She said, suspicious.

"I can help." Harry repeated firmly.

The lady in the dark blue dress watched him in silence. Dumbledore, taking his chance, spoke almost harshly to Harry. "You need to leave Harry."

"You are in my portrait Albus Dumbledore, remember that." The lady said sternly, before turning back to face Harry. "She is in there lad." She pointed to the door across form the fireplace.

"Thank you…"

The lady smiled faintly. "Isobel."

"Thank you, Isobel."

Isobel shook her head. "Just take care of my little girl."

Nodding once, Harry turned and walked over to the door that Isobel had pointed to, ignoring the conversation going on behind him.

"You may be older than me Albus, but this is still my portrait and I will ban you if I have to."

"He is a student Isobel. It is not allowed-"

"Neither is it allowed for you to be up here. Now silence!"

Pushing the door open, Harry doesn't hesitate when it is revealed to be her bedroom. With a quick glance around, Harry spotted the small shaking lump in the centre of the bed. Closing the door behind him, he moved over to the quilt covered bump and sat down next to it on the edge of the bed. Instantly, the shaking stopped.

"Professor, it's Harry." He stated softly, as to not frighten her anymore.

The lump moved closer to where Harry sat, but not much. "Won't you come out Professor?"

The bump didn't move anymore, so Harry moved further up the bed and kicked off his black trainers. "Okay, then I'm coming in." He warned, before lifting up the thick red quilt and slipping his legs under. As he moved around to get comfortable, the lump moved closer to his legs.

Harry lifted the heavy material and peeked under it. Two large, bright green eyes looked back at him. "Come on." He said with a nod of his head.

Shaking her small head, Minerva edged up closer to Harry's stomach. Without any warning, a large _CRACK _of lightning lit up the room, causing Minerva to start to tremble.

Picking her up, Harry placed her on his stomach lightly. "Hey, it's okay. It's not going to hurt you." He whispered softly.

Minerva glared up at him, but covered her ears with her two front paws as thunder rumbled loudly not too far in the distance. Feeling the gentle pressure on her back and hearing the calm voice whispering, Minerva calmed down enough to look back up at Harry.

"It's alright. Shh, it's okay."

Harry kept eye contact with her, just to make sure she knew that he wasn't going to do anything to hurt her, but after a while her continuous stare began to unnerve him. "What?"

Finally blinking, Minerva released a short series of meows. "Re-owl?"

Frowning, Harry looked at her. "What?"

Minerva narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Re-owl?"

Harry shook his head. "I can't understand you Professor."

Opening her mouth again, Minerva began to repeat the sound but didn't get the chance to as the sudden _BOOM_ of thunder made her jump and dig her sharp claws into Harry's stomach, causing him to wince in pain. Seeing this, Minerva automatically retracted them, but she continued to shake.

Harry, not really know what else to do, pulled her up on to his chest and ran his hand from her head to her tail in soft, soothing strokes. Before long, Minerva was purring contently at the comforting attention, which made Harry smile.

As her shaking stopped, Harry moved his hand back to her head and gently scratched between her ears. "Why don't you change back Professor." He suggested softly.

Minerva shook her head and curled up, hiding her face.

Moving his hand down her back, Harry continued to urge her to change. "Come on, change back." He whispered, only to receive a small shake of her head again. "I won't think less of you Professor." He added, almost silently.

Snapping her head around, Minerva looked up at him, hardly even flinching when the dark sky was lit up once more with a long white streak. Slowly, she stood up and stepped down from her spot on his chest and slithered back under the thick blanket.

Harry frowned as she moved around under the quilt, but his frowned quickly turned to surprise when the small bump in the blanket elongated and took changed. McGonagall was now lying half under the dark red quilt in what was quite obviously her under robes, staring down at the material that covered half of her body. Moving slowly, Harry stretched out his arm and took hold of her small hand and held it tightly in his own. For a while they just laid there in silence, but when the storm outside made itself known with an extra loud roar of thunder. Minerva jumped, moving closer to Harry as she did so. She clutched at his hand, holding it against her heart.

Harry pulled her closer and rubbed small comforting circles on her back as she trembled violently against his side.

As her shaking subsided, Minerva whispered into Harry's shoulder. "Do you know how inappropriate this is?"

Harry nodded his head. "I do."

After a few minutes silence, Harry looked down at Minerva and realized that she had fallen asleep with no trouble, even with the low rumbling of thunder. Smiling, Harry grasped her hand that was resting above his heart and gave it a small squeeze before closing his eyes.

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><p>Minerva blinked open her eyes, only to groan and close them at the bright light that was shining in through the windows. But she snapped them open again when she heard the deep chuckling from beside her head. Her body automatically stiffened, but she looked up anyway. Smiling down at her was her student, Harry.<p>

"Morning."

Blinking once, Minerva returned the greeting slowly. "Morning."

An awkward silence filled the room where they just stared at each other before Minerva pushed herself up and off the bed in one quick move. "Would you like some breakfast, Potter?" She asked stiffly as she pulled on her robe, tying it tightly.

Getting out from under the quilt, Harry slipped back into his sneakers. "No thank you Professor. I'm supposed to meet up with Ron and Hermione."

Nodding her head, Minerva was surprised at the pang of disappointment but pushed it aside as she walked towards the door. "Very well." She said, holding the door open.

Harry walked out and over to the door of her main living quarters. Pausing he turned around and faced Minerva. "Make sure you eat something Professor."

Looking at him, Minerva arched her eyebrow, but answered none the less. "I will."

Harry smiled at her and opened the door, but turned back around when his Transfiguration Professor called his name.

"Harry. Thank you." She said softly.

Leaning in, she went to kiss him on the cheek, but unintentionally, Harry moved and she kissed him on the lips. At first, neither of them moved, but then Minerva pulled back with her eyes wide in shock.

After everything he had gone through in his life, being kissed was hardly surprising, so Harry smiled slightly and nodded his head politely. "You're welcome."

Turning back around, he walked down the metal staircase and across the office with Minerva watching after him in a slight daze.

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><p><em>This chapter is for Thisissoclich. :)<em>

_And now, this story will be on hold, but not for too long._

_I promise._

_Ro._


	4. The Calm after the Storm

**Astraphobia**

**Part IV**

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><p>Standing on the raised platform, Minerva looked over the Great Hall. At first glance, it would seem that she was taking in everything that was happening in the once amazing hall, but in reality, she was hardly paying attention. Not even the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance could draw her away from her thoughts. She hadn't seen Harry since the conclusion of the battle and she was worried.<p>

Sighing, she started to pace back and forth across the platform. But after only a few laps, she started to feel even more agitated and decided to see if anybody needed some help. So she lifted the hem of her torn robes and walked down the stairs, heading towards the group of red heads close to the entry. Walking down the aisle, she looked at the peaceful faces of everyone who had fought and lost. She sighed again sadly as she paused in front of Remus and Tonks, silently saying good bye before continuing on her way to the Weasley family. But before she could even make it half way, a loud clap of thunder echoed around the almost silent hall, scarring some of the younger students into screaming.

Minerva froze at the horrible sound, but after several seconds, she shook her head and continued on walking. With each step she forced herself to take, she became stiffer and stiffer. As she reached out to lay her hand on Molly's shoulder to offer comfort, lightning lit up the night sky and she froze mid-air before she snatched her hand back and clenched her hands into fists at her side while squeezing her eyes shut.

At that moment, Arthur Weasley looked up from his grieving wife and saw Minerva, standing just behind Molly with a pained expression. He stood up and walked to her side, reaching out to touch her shoulder just as she had done. "Minerva, is everything alright?"

When his hand made contact, she flinched away as if the light touch had burned her. Opening her eyes, she looked at him with razor sharp eyes. "Fine." She said, before she started to walk towards the door.

Arthur took a step after her. "Minerva!"

Not stopping, she called back to him just before she left the hall. "Everything is fine Arthur."

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><p>"We should get inside." Hermione said, looking up the dark sky.<p>

Harry and Ron look up as well, before nodding their heads in agreement. They followed Hermione back up the path from the court yard to the main entrance and entered just before it started to pour down. They shrugged it off and made their way towards the Great Hall but before they could even make it around the corner, a loud crash of thunder scared the group. Especially Hermione, who jumped with a small squeal. Ron reached out and took hold of her hand with a smile. He got a small one in return.

Harry frowned as a smaller, softer clap of thunder jogged a memory from the back of his mind. After a few seconds, his eyes widened as it finally came to him. _'Minerva.'_

At the thought, he started to pick up his pace quite a bit, causing Ron and Hermione to jog to catch up to him. As they walk beside him, Ron opened his mouth to ask what the rush was for, but didn't get the chance to as at that moment; Minerva came around the corner and all but ran into Harry.

Before anyone knew what had happened, Harry reached out, grabbed her wrist and pull her into a tight embrace. "Minerva!"

Both Hermione and Ron pulled back in surprise at the use of their Professor's name, which turned into shock when Minerva spun around and hugged herself to Harry.

"Harry!" She cried out as she buried her head in the space between his shoulder and his neck.

Holding on to her tightly, he could feel her shaking increase as the windows beside them rattled in there frames. Forgetting that he wasn't alone, he whispered softly. "Shh. Shh. It's alright. I have you."

As he spoke, Minerva's shaking decreased slightly, even with the sharp flashes of lightning lighting up the hallway. But when the next roar of thunder sounded, Minerva froze completely before tightening her hold on Harry. Both Ron and Hermione watched their friend and Professor. Ron with confusion, and Hermione with narrowed eyes.

Minerva took a deep breath to help calm herself and moved to find a more comfortable position, only to freeze yet again when she caught sight of the couple over Harry's shoulder.

Feeling her stiffen, Harry remembered his friends, but before he could say anything, Minerva jumped from his embrace and brushed at her torn robes nervously.

"M-Miss Granger. Mr Weasley."

Turning around, Harry glimpsed the last few seconds of his friends shocked expressions much to his amusement. Looking over towards Minerva, he lost the small smile that was beginning to form on his lips when he saw how pale she had become. Opening his mouth to explain to his friends, he was cut off by Ron, having recovered the fastest from the surprise.

"Good evening Professor."

Minerva first instinct reaction was to reply politely, but upon opening her mouth, she found that her voice failed her, so instead she just nodded her head. Unfortunately for her, Hermione had just found hers.

Hermione stepped forward, shrugging off Ron's hand. "What exactly is going on?"

Pulling back at the suspicious tone, Minerva drew on her Professor persona, wrapping it around her as if it was a cloak. "I hardly believe that is any of your business Miss Granger." She said, sharper then she had intended.

Harry shook his head in warning to his friend, but Hermione stepped forward anyway. "He is my friend. That makes it my business."

Ron stepped up next to Hermione and placed his hand on her shoulder, while Harry moved next to Minerva, taking hold of her hand. "Hermione," Ron started. "I'm sure it's not what you think."

Minerva nodded her head at what Ron said, but stops in shock at the next lot of words from Hermione.

"No Ronald, I have seen it!" She turned away from Ron to face McGonagall and Harry. "At least once a year Harry disappears for a night. Haven't you ever noticed that?" She asked.

Ron looked at her with a deep frown. "Of course I've noticed Hermione. I share a dorm room with him. But that's normal for Harry, just like studying too much is normal for you."

Glaring, Hermione faced him head on. "But is it normal for a student to sleep with their Head of House?" She asked loudly, clearly angered at Ron's excuses.

Ron pulled back slightly at the accusation. "N-Now I'm sure there is a rational explanation for this." He stuttered, before turning to face the pair. "Harry?" He asked in a higher voice.

Harry shook his head in response. "Not mine to tell." He said and looked at Minerva, who had turned her back on the trio.

Not turning around, she continued to stare out of the window as she spoke in a quiet but firm voice. "I am afraid Miss Granger, Mr Weasley," She stopped, causing Harry to think that she had finished, only for her to start again. "I am afraid I am not comfortable with explaining my actions." As she finished speaking, the sky was lit up with a bright light.

Hermione stiffened in anger and opened her mouth to start lecturing the Professor on rules and morals, only to freeze when she saw her face in the short bursts of light from outside. Shocked at seeing the usually emotionless Professor crying, Hermione forgot for a second, just a second, what she was angry about. But when the lightning stopped, it came back to her and she stepped forward once again.

"I don't care if you're 'comfortable', if you're abusing your power and using Harry as some sort of toy, you are going to tell me right now!" She finished loudly, all but stomping her foot.

Harry and Ron watched in silence as Hermione yelled at Minerva, but they both stepped back when they saw the change of expression on the older witches face. Gone was the vulnerability, replaced with stone cold anger.

Slowly Minerva turned around to face the young girl as if she was a piece on her chest board. "Miss Granger, not once in the forty years that I've been teaching, have I _ever_ been accused of taking advantage of a student." She took a slow, deep breath through her nose in an attempt to control the anger running through her and straightened herself to her full height. "I suggest you leave Miss Granger." She glared at the girl, but refused to raise her voice at her like she had her.

Hermione didn't make a move to leave, but she did flinch back when she saw the glare that was being sent towards her. Not once in the six years she had gone to Hogwarts had she ever been glared at by McGonagall. To witness it was bad enough, but to have it directed at her…

When the girl made no move to leave, Minerva lost what little control she had on her anger and growled out a scary, "Now!" just as the sky was once again lit up by lightning.

Everyone jumped back at the unexpected shout. It was as if the lightning was feeding off of her emotions.

Hermione looked at her favourite Professor and lost all colour at the expression of anger and disappointment she was giving her. Looking at her for a few more seconds, she finally realized that she had misjudged the situation gravely. As the tears started to build in her eyes, she opened her mouth to apologize, only to be cut off by a very cat like hiss.

"This minute Granger."

Nodding her head shakily, Hermione walked off quickly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

Everyone watched as she all but ran down the broken corridor before Harry and Ron turned to face Minerva. They weren't surprised to see that she was trembling and panting heavily as she tried to regain control of her emotions. Stepping forward, Ron laid a hand on her arm gently to gain her attention. When she looked down at him with no expression, he swallowed nervously. But he wasn't put into Gryffindor for nothing, so he pushed on.

"I'm sorry Professor." He said, meaning it.

Looking at him for a few seconds, Minerva nodded her head once sharply in acceptance.

Nodding back, Ron turned around and started to walk the same way Hermione had after telling Harry he'll see him later.

Once he was out of sight, Harry turned around. "Minerva?"

Minerva let a long sigh and rolled her shoulders in an attempt to relieve them of stiffness. "I'm sorry that I've put you in this position Harry." She said softly,

Stepping forward, Harry took hold of her hand once again. "I'm not."

Smiling at him slightly, she tightened her hold on his hand before she tugged at it. "Come, I don't want to stand here any longer."

Harry followed her through the ruins of the corridors. He quickly caught on the fact that they were heading towards Gryffindor tower, but before he could say anything, they stopped just before the last corner in front of a blank wall. Confused, Harry watched with a small frown as Minerva reached out and placed her free hand on the wall. After a few moments, a brass handle appeared under her hand. Shaking his head, he followed Minerva into the oddly intact room in surprise.

Minerva, seeing the surprised look, walked to the other side of the room and set about making tea. "Wards." She said, by way of explaining.

Harry let out a silent _ahh_ sound and took the cup that was being held out to him. "Thank you."

In response, Minerva nodded her head as she picked up her own cup before she sat down on the couch, taking a sip.

Taking a mouthful of his tea, Harry looked around the room, almost instantly spotting the portrait of Isobel above the fireplace. She was smiling at him, so he smiled back and tilted his head in greeting. Isobel nodded back, then looked at her daughter sadly. Following her line of sight, Harry noticed that Minerva was sitting on the couch rather stiffly. He moved around the couch and placed his cup on the low table in front of the sofa. Sitting down next to her, he grasped her hand in both of his.

"Minerva?"

When she didn't answer him, he shuffled closer. "Minerva, look at me."

Minerva shook her head.

Moving even closer, Harry reached out and gently touched her cheek, slowly turning her head to face him, except she still wouldn't look at him. "Minerva."

In the silence that followed, a tear slipped over the edge of Minerva's bright green eye and rolled down her cheek. Moving on instinct, Harry wiped the tear away with his thumb, causing Minerva to look up at him in surprise. Upon seeing the concern in his eyes, she lost the battle with her emotions and fell forward, into Harry's arms, crying heart wrenching sobs.

Automatically Harry wound his arms around her and held her tightly, being careful not to squeeze her too tightly. Time flew by, but Harry continued to hold her against him, allowing her to cry for everything she had lost. It wasn't long before he felt her starting to calm down, but he held on for just a minute longer before pulling back slightly to see her face. Offering a weak smile, he brushed away the remaining tears.

"Feel better?"

Minerva let out a half hiccup, half laugh and roughly wiped at her cheeks. "A little." She sniffled.

This time, when Harry smiled, it was a proper full smile. When she smiled back at him, he pulled her back into a hug. Almost instantly, Minerva relaxed into the now familiar hold, but as time passed, her lower back began to complain at the unusual position. When it got to the point where she was forcing herself to stay still, she decided that it was time to change position. She tried to move subtly, but she moved the wrong way and winced as the pain shot up her back.

Harry, having felt her wince, pulled back. "Minerva?"

Sighing, Minerva hung her head. "My back."

"In pain?"

Minerva nodded her head sadly.

"Alright, turn around." Harry ordered, pulling his arms back.

Confused, Minerva looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

The corner of Harry's mouth twitched at the sudden appearance of Professor McGonagall. "Trust me." He smirked.

Minerva huffed in mock annoyance, but turned around non-the-less.

Harry shook his head and stretched out his leg along the back of the sofa. Upon seeing his leg, Minerva turned around to see him leaning against the armrest. Smiling at her encouragingly, Harry tilted his head, waiting to see what she would do. Taking a deep breath, Minerva slowly moved back down along the couch and sat with her back to him. When Harry realized that she wasn't going to move anymore, he reached out and very gently, placed his hand on her shoulder, feeling her tense instantly. Giving her shoulders a small squeeze, he carefully ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms, gently pulling her backwards. Allowing herself to be pulled back, Minerva continued to hold her back straight. Once Harry felt that she was leaning back against him comfortably, he wrapped his arms around her surprisingly small waist and waited for her to relax.

It takes a while, but eventually Minerva fully relaxed into his hold. Closing her eyes, she sighed quietly. "Do you know how inappropriate this is?" She asked, more to herself then to Harry.

Harry chuckled and answered anyway. "About as appropriate as sleeping with my Professor was." He answered, as if sharing a secret.

Minerva faked a gasp of surprise. "You slept with a Professor?"

Harry laughed, but then looked down at her seriously. "I did. About a year ago on a night just like this one. That night was the best nights' sleep I've ever had." Smiling slightly, Harry leant over her shoulder, losing his serious expression. "I think it was because I had a beautiful woman in my arms." He whispered.

Minerva scoffed, while Isobel, who had been watching and listening to the pair, laughed.

Harry carefully squeezed her waist. "You are you know. Very beautiful."

Looking up at him, Minerva saw the sincerity in his eyes. Lying her head back down on his shoulder, she smiled while tears gathered in her eyes once more.

Not know how to react to Minerva's silence, harry rested his cheek on top of her head and held her tightly. And just when sleep began to claim him, he heard Minerva whisper.

"Thank you Harry."

* * *

><p>Harry opened his eye to the sunlight streaming in through the curtains and smiled at the sound of bird singing and chirping as they flew past the opened window, before rolling over to face his wife of nineteen years. He watched her, as he did every morning, as she slept on peacefully.<p>

He looked at her face for a while, mentally running his fingertips across the skin he knew to be soft before he moved onto her hair which was fanned out across her pillow. She had allowed it to grow out, much like he had done with his own, and just like his; it had streaks of silver running through it. Of course when she had first noticed it, she had tried to cover it with glamours. And of course he knew straight away that she had them up, but he had seen that she hadn't wanted to talk about, so he had just gone about his morning routine of kissing her and whispering good morning. Smiling slightly, Harry reached out and gently pushed back the lock of hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear.

At the soft touch, the woman beside him hummed and slowly opened her eyes to look at him. "Good morning." She whispered with a smile, her voice thick with sleep.

Smiling back at her, he touched her cheek. "Good morning Beautiful."

She rolled her eyes at him, but continued to smile. Chuckling, Harry continued to watch her until she finally spoke again.

"What?"

"Nothing." Harry said, moving closer to her side. "I was just looking at this beautiful woman beside me." He whispered before kissing her shoulder.

Looking up, harry kissed her slowly, only pulling back when the need to breath became too much to ignore.

Lying back down, Harry held her smaller hand in his own and smiled at her. "I love you Minerva."

Smiling back at him, Minerva leant forward. "I love you too Harry." She whispered, closing the last few centimetres between them.

* * *

><p><em>And that's the end of Astraphobia.<em>

_Thank you for reading._

_Ro._


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